


Puppy Love

by Mntsnflrs



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: AU, Alternate Universe - Vampire, Alternate Universe - Wolves, Blood Drinking, Blood Kink, Blood and Violence, I'm Sorry, M/M, Mild Gore, Painplay
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-21
Updated: 2020-10-21
Packaged: 2021-03-09 05:28:22
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,112
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27138697
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mntsnflrs/pseuds/Mntsnflrs
Summary: If he’d known a handful of hours ago that he’d be run off the road by a truck of snarling men, he would have laughed until the blood tears ran down his face.As it was, he couldn’t laugh with a silver knife pressed against his throat, tethered upside down by his seat-belt, car still rocking in the ditch by the side of the road.He saw the burgers crushed beneath the passenger seat, strewn about with the shattered glass of the windscreen. He groaned. “Xuxi’s gonna be so cranky without his breakfast.”
Relationships: Chittaphon Leechaiyapornkul | Ten/Wong Yuk Hei | Lucas
Comments: 32
Kudos: 386





	Puppy Love

**Author's Note:**

> i have no excuse i am sorry also PLEASE read the tags!!!!! love to u all xo

Yukhei always said that the first sign of Ten was his scent. He had laughed when trying to explain it, the sound low in his chest, wonderfully endearing. “You smell cold,” he’d said, nose against Ten’s neck. “Like mint gum. You know when you’re swimming in the sea and you accidentally inhale the salt water, and it actually makes your nose feel pretty good? You smell like that.”

It had been a long time since Ten had swam in the sea, but even so, the scent he remembered wasn’t so pleasant. The sensation of inhaling water wasn’t pleasant either. He didn’t speak, but from Yukhei’s pink cheeks and chagrin, it was clear he could see Ten wasn’t overly impressed with the metaphor.

“I’m a wolf,” he continued, stroking a hand down Ten’s cheek, comforting. “Everything smells hot. Sweaty and damp and… honestly kind of gross. You smell fresh and clean. Like new laundry.”

That was better. Ten smiled, placated, and allowed Yukhei to continue to pet him. “Lovely,” he said, quiet. It was a beautiful night, but he was glad of where he was. In bed with his love.

“What do I smell like?” Yukhei has asked, trailing his fingers from Ten’s cheek, to his neck, to his chest. He circled a nipple before continuing down, not seductive, but comforting. He touched Ten like he knew every inch, confident in his mapping, an experienced cartographer.

Ten’s smile had widened. “You smell eager.”

Yukhei looked up, eyes big and round. “Eager? What does eagerness smell of?”

It smelt of happiness, of arousal and gentle power. The blood beneath his honey skin smelt like ambrosia. “You smell wild, Yukhei. Like forests. You make me want to run.”

“In a good way?”

Ten cupped his face. “Yeah, baby. In the best way.”

-

Yukhei’s scent was familiar, welcome, but for Ten, it was never what he noticed first.

The first sign of Yukhei was always the _heat._

The sun had just set when Yukhei entered the apartment, but it felt like the summer sun had just taken its shoes off and climbed into bed, hugging Ten from behind. Yukhei felt like a furnace, and soon behind the heat his scent always followed.

Yukhei nosed at the back of Ten’s neck, his comfort spot. “Hey.”

Ten smiled, his eyes still closed. “Hey. How’re the territory negotiations going?”

“Everyone’s arguing again. Too many alphas in one spot is making everyone grouchy.”

Ten pulled Yukhei’s harm over his waist and pressed back into him, nestling closer. “Sounds difficult. How’re the others coping?”

“Donghyuck just finds it funny. He thinks the posturing is stupid, but he doesn’t get the same kind of rush as the alphas. It _is_ stupid, but Johnny said it’s difficult to control. I just kind of feel bad for them.”

Ten hummed, stroking his thumb over Yukhei’s knuckles. He’d have to get up soon, but he was content to enjoy the moment before he did. “How’s Kun coping?”

He felt Yukhei’s pout against his neck. “You always ask about Kun.”

“Because he’s my friend, darling. How’s he coping?”

“Fine. He has Johnny, so they’re used to the aggression between alphas. It’s the ones we don’t know so well that are causing trouble.” He lowered his voice. “One of them growled at Yangyang and I really thought it was going to start a fight. Johnny looked like he was going to rip the guy’s head off.”

Ten couldn’t claim to understand the dynamics of Yukhei’s pack, or their wider group, but he could understand Johnny’s aggression. Yangyang was mouthy, but he was a good kid. If an unfamiliar alpha tried to start a fight, Ten would be tempted to get involved too. It must have been worse for Johnny to see one of his own pack threatened. “And how were you, baby?”

Yukhei shrugged. “I kept out of most of it. I’m doing much better.”

Ten felt himself smile. “Because of our work.”

Yukhei nodded, bashful. “Yeah.”

“Because you’re a good boy.”

Yukhei’s body temperature increased, until Ten felt like he was pressed against a burning star. “Yeah,” he whispered.

Ten opened his eyes. It was dark outside, and the night was going to be a long and beautiful one. “My good boy.”

Yukhei shuddered. “Yeah.”

Ten rolled over in his arms and pressed a kiss to Yukhei’s soft lips. “My good baby.”

Yukhei made a weak noise in his throat. He pressed closer, fully clothed while Ten was naked, hot while Ten was cold, desperate already while Ten was biding his time. “Ten…”

Ten pulled back when Yukhei tried to catch his lips. “Say it.”

“Ten-“

“Oh,” he interrupted, delighted. “Is that a no? You’re still prideful, baby?” He stroked a hand through Yukhei’s hair and cooed. “Are your hackles still up?”

Yukhei forced down an obvious pout. “It’s difficult to keep my temper.”

“I know,” Ten said, soft. “But you don’t need it here. You don’t need pride or arrogance or territory. Everything here is already yours.”

Yukhei exhaled. He closed his eyes, and after a long moment, he nodded.

“And why is that?” Ten whispered. “Go on, darling. Say it.”

“Because I’m your baby,” Yukhei said.

Ten smiled, his heart too big for his chest. Not for the first time, Xuxi made Ten feel like his heart was still a living, beating organ. “That’s right.”

Yukhei seemed to lose all of the tension in his body, melting against the sheets.

Ten sat up a little, smiling down at him. “Well done,” he said. “You relaxed so quickly this time. Don’t you feel better?”

Yukhei nodded shallowly, his eyelids dipping. “I’m tired.”

Ten pressed another kiss to his lips, this one even softer. “Sleep then,” he said. “You’re safe here.”

It only took a few minutes before Yukhei was snoring quietly, dragging Ten back down to wrap himself around as he slept. Ten fit so nicely in the crook of Yukhei’s big arms. He felt small and protected, warm and safe. It was time for him to get up, but he supposed an extra couple of hours wouldn’t hurt.

-

He woke up to kisses on his neck.

When he blinked his eyes open, the sky was darker, the kind of dark that sank into the surroundings during the witching hours.

He smiled. “How are you feeling?”

“Better,” Yukhei murmured. “Hungry. Can we go out for breakfast?”

“If you’d like.”

Yukhei hummed. “Are you hungry?”

He was always hungry, especially around Yukhei. “A little.”

Yukhei pressed one last lingering kiss to Ten’s neck before pulling back. “You wanna drink before we go?”

Ten knew what he was really asking. “Do _you_ want me to drink before we leave?”

Yukhei’s laughter was always so low in his chest, so comforting and kind. “Yeah, I do. I’ve missed you.”

Ten kissed Yukhei, nibbling on his plush lower lip. “It’s only been a couple of days.”

Yukhei gripped Ten’s waist with his hands and rolled them over. The sheets fell away from their bodies and left Yukhei laying fully clothed, staring up at Ten sat above him, naked. “You’re saying you didn’t miss me?”

Ten leant down and bit Yukhei’s clavicle, just hard enough to sting. “I always miss you, baby.” He bit again, higher. Bloodlust could be fast if he needed it to be, but with Yukhei it always seemed to come slowly, leisurely. Like even his hunger knew that they had all the time in the world, that teasing Yukhei was just as important as the feast ahead. He felt the way his canines dropped, pressing sharp into his tongue as he nosed up along the line of Yukhei’s neck, strong and corded like the rest of him. He was all muscle and length, a sleek hunter. And he was all _Ten’s._ Yukhei’s blood sang a special kind of melody that only Ten could match, that only Ten knew how to appreciate.

Tongue against Yukhei’s neck, he inhaled the woodsy wildfire smell. He felt like an adolescent on the edge of an endless discovery. Yukhei always made him feel like this, like nothing would ever be enough. Insatiable. That’s what Jongin called him.

Yukhei squeezed Ten’s waist. “Hurry up,” he said, whiny. “I’m hungry too.”

Ten smiled against his skin and pressed a soft kiss, unable to stop himself. He licked the skin of Yukhei’s throat again, feeling Yukhei’s strong pulse through his tongue. Then he bit down.

Yukhei tensed, and for a moment it felt like he would throw Ten off, but he knew better. He was a good boy. After a couple of seconds he relaxed, falling back into the pillow with a sigh as the endorphins rushed through his body and made his fingertips go numb. Ten could remember how it felt, the sensation of the sharp teeth digging into skin and muscle – the agony of it in the moments before everything else faded away into hazy, throbbing pleasure.

Yukhei moaned, loud and throaty before his hands slid into Ten’s hair and held him closer.

Ten fought his smile and turned his attention to the honeyed blood against his tongue. His bloodlust was subdued today, calmed by Yukhei’s sweet supplication, and he drank with control he rarely possessed.

When he pulled away, he felt almost dizzy from the rush. He felt warm.

Yukhei stared up at Ten with hooded eyes, his long hair falling across his forehead in a pretty mess. He was hard inside of his jeans, pressing up against the material.

Ten smiled and licked his lips. “You’re so placid tonight, darling. An untouched lake. Your waters are so calm.”

Yukhei’s smile was sleepy and smitten. “It’s been a tough couple of days,” he said. He rubbed a hand across his eyes. “I’m happy to be home.”

“I’m happy you’re home too,” Ten said. He pressed his nails against the wound on Yukhei’s neck just to watch him flinch, but the skin had already started to close. If Ten wanted to toy with Yukhei’s pain tolerance, he would have to bite again. Looking down though, he could see exhaustion was still weighing on Yukhei’s body. It was in his eyes, the lethargy in which he caressed the curve of Ten’s spine. “You need more rest before we play.”

Yukhei groaned. “But I’m hungry.”

“I’ll get you some food,” Ten said, no room for compromise. “We can go out tomorrow. Tonight, you need to sleep until I get back with your breakfast.”

Yukhei wanted to argue, but he always wanted to argue with Ten. It was why they had so much fun together. Eventually, he gave up his silent battle and snuggled down. “Get off my boner if you’re not going to do anything about it,” he grumbled.

Ten laughed, climbing off the bed and walking to the bathroom. “Rest. We have all the time in the world.”

Yukhei probably would have replied, but by the time Ten had returned, fully clothed, he was already snoring again.

Ten pressed a kiss to his forehead and stole his car keys.

-

If he’d known a handful of years ago that he’d spend the best hours of the night queueing in a drive-thru to order six double cheeseburgers for his boyfriend, he would have laughed until the blood tears ran down his face.

“Do you want any sauces with your order, Sir?”

Ten looked at the exhausted night worker. “No thank you.”

She nodded and passed over his paper bag. “Here you go. Enjoy your meal.”

“Thank you,” he said. He passed over the wad of money Yukhei kept stashed in his glove compartment. “Here’s your tip. Have a nice night.”

He drove away with the smell of cheese slowly sinking into the seats.

-

If he’d known a handful of hours ago that he’d be run off the road by a truck of snarling men, he would have laughed until the blood tears ran down his face.

As it was, he couldn’t laugh with a silver knife pressed against his throat, tethered upside down by his seat-belt, car still rocking in the ditch by the side of the road.

He saw the burgers crushed beneath the passenger seat, strewn about with the shattered glass of the windscreen. He groaned. “Xuxi’s gonna be so _cranky_ without his breakfast.”

The man holding the knife pressed it harder into his skin. It was starting to burn. “Get out of the car.”

Ten laughed, giddy. All of his hard work calming Yukhei down, for nothing. “You smell like vermin, dog.”

“Where’s Yukhei?”

“Waiting for his burgers.”

The man growled. He bent down, unbuckling Ten’s seat-belt to drag him out of the car. Upright, Ten realised that not one of the men in front of him looked familiar. Not one of them knew who he was, all they knew was the scent of Yukhei on the car.

The one with the knife sneered, pressing harder against Ten’s throat. The knife was silver, the blade like acid against his skin. “I should have known Johnny’s pack would associate with vampires. No wonder so many of the other packs are chomping at the bit to snatch his territory.”

Ten moaned. “Press harder, I’m almost enjoying it.” He was backhanded for the effort, but the taste of his own blood in his mouth made everything even better. The peace from Yukhei’s homecoming was leaving Ten’s body in waves, his shores once again beginning to storm. He felt his canines drop, but kept his lips closed.

The wolf put his nose to Ten’s neck. The growl that rumbled through his chest sounded like thunder. “You smell like him.” He sniffed again. “He _mated_ you.”

The disgust in his voice made Ten laugh. “Am I that ugly?”

Another wolf stepped forward, slightly more timid than his companion. “We should take him to Alpha. If he’s mated to a member of Johnny’s pack, that means he’s valuable to them. He might be as useful as Yukhei.”

There seemed to be agreement from the others, and soon the man at Ten’s neck had a hand in his hair and the knife steady still at his throat, guiding him towards their van. “Stay complacent and you’ll stay safe.”

Yukhei would be growing agitated. He never dealt with hunger well. He never dealt with Ten’s absence well. It did lead Ten to question the sanity of the wolves who were in the process of ransoming him. As he was shoved into the back of the van, he lifted his head. “What made you pick Yukhei? Out of all the wolves in the world?”

The aggressive one laughed. “He acts like a pathetic bitch, that’s why. No wolf is above picking out the weakest link in the pack, exploiting the fragile link in the chain.” He looked Ten up and down. “Why a vampire would want a docile wolf, I don’t know.”

Ten considered. He swallowed shallowly, the skin of his neck beginning to throb against the blade. “I suppose I like to be in control. I like looking after him.”

The wolf laughed again. “Well you’ve certainly done that tonight. If he were the one we’d caught, we wouldn’t be so gentle.”

“Don’t be gentle for my sake,” Ten said, smiling prettily. “I like it rough.”

Overall, it wasn’t the worst ransom deal he’d been a part of. It wasn’t even in the top five.

The thought of Yukhei lying in bed, neglected and hungry, was the only thing that really put a damper on the experience. That and the ruined car. It would probably be cheaper to just buy a new one, but Ten wasn’t heartbroken over the thought. Better new car smell than fermented burgers ground into the fabric interior.

-

“Oh,” Ten said, unimpressed. “A cabin in the woods? For a pack of wolves? How unoriginal.”

“We weren’t meant for city life,” one of them said, speaking for the first time. His gaze was hungry as he stared at Ten. “Vampires aren’t meant for cities either. You’d be better off out here, like us.”

Ten just shook his head. “Spoken like a man that doesn’t understand the necessity of air conditioning.”

“It isn’t a necessity. You just think it is because you have it now.”

Ten rolled his eyes. “Save it, Socrates. Let’s get this over with.”

He could smell the alpha as soon as he was guided into the cabin. It was overpowering and unpleasant, not at all like the comforting cinnamon smell that Johnny exuded or the sweet pine of Kun’s. This alpha smelt like old meat. Congealed blood. 

Ten stared at him, unimpressed. Tall and hairy, but then most wolves were. At least he was handsome.

“Why have you brought a vampire?” the alpha asked his pack, eyes dark.

“He’s mated to Wong Yukhei. We caught him in Yukhei’s car.”

The alpha lifted his chin. “You think he’ll be enough to negotiate with?”

“Yes. He knows the rest of the pack. They value him.”

Ten peered up at his captor. “What makes you think that?”

“Johnny has already called,” the quiet one said. “Yukhei knows we have you.”

Ten felt his eyebrows climb. “Already? He must have been more hungry than I thought.”

“He must have felt your fear through the mating bond,” the Alpha said.

Ten shook his head. “That’s impossible.”

“And why is that?”

“I’m not scared,” Ten said. “In fact, I’m quite amused. No wonder Johnny was getting so aggressive, he’s downright disgusted by your arrogance. This pack is pathetic, and you really thought you could take some of his territory? Your gall is astounding. I’d be impressed if you weren’t so cliché.”

The alpha growled, and the next thing Ten knew he was pinned to the ground, sharp teeth clamped over the back of his neck. He felt the teeth break his skin, smelt the moment his blood hit the forest air, the moment his mating mark sang with pain, flaring like lightning all the way to Yukhei.

Ten laughed. “You’ve done it now,” he whispered. “My puppy is possessive.”

There was a howl in the distance, a distinctive tenor. Johnny.

An answering call. Kun.

Then a snarl, much louder. Much closer. Yukhei.

Ten laughed, dripping blood onto the wood floor. “No negotiations now, honey,” he said, staring up at the alert alpha. The alpha with Ten’s blood on his teeth.

The alpha growled, low in his throat. Keeping Ten pinned, he gestured for one of his pack to pass over the silver knife. He placed the point of the blade at the hollow of Ten’s throat. “A fight then,” he said. “But you don’t need to be around for that to happen.”

Ten leant up into the knife and felt the burn as it pierced his skin. “The more blood you spill, the better,” he said, quiet. “You’ve done me a favour, dog. You’ve given my puppy an excuse to play.”

When Yukhei burst through the door, he wasn’t in his wolf form. It surprised Ten for all of a second, but then Yukhei snarled, exposing all of his teeth as his eyes glowed gold, and Ten felt apprehension in the room. He felt the fear.

Yukhei was a beautiful wolf. He was a beautiful human too, but in the odd link between both, he towered over everyone else in the cabin. With his human eyes and wolf teeth exposed, he looked demonic.

“Hey baby,” Ten said from the floor, smitten. “I missed you. Sorry about your breakfast.”

The alpha, still with the knife at Ten’s throat, growled. “This is between pack leaders,” he said. “Step back.”

“Get your knife off my _mate_ _,”_ Yukhei snarled, eyes flashing from gold to red to black to gold. Oh he was angry.

“Get Johnny and we’ll talk about this,” the Alpha said. “There doesn’t need to be more bloodshed.”

“Can I get up now?” Ten asked, whiny. “My neck hurts and this floor is cold.”

Yukhei looked down at him, blinked, and for a second he looked like himself. “Ten,” he said quietly. “Are you okay?”

Ten smiled. “I’m okay,” he said. “Remember the pack in Hangzhou? These losers don’t even come close.”

Yukhei sighed, some of the tension leaving his shoulders. “Good,” he said. “I’m glad you’re alright.” He turned and punched the wolf next to him in the face, knocking him off his feet and sending him flying.

Ten laughed, delighted even as Yukhei was swarmed. He had nothing to worry about, after all. Johnny and Kun were seconds away.

Th alpha lunged towards Yukhei, and Ten used his newfound freedom to grab the man’s ankle and throw him backwards. He hit the far wall with a thud, and there was the beautiful crack of at least two ribs shattering as they made contact with the beams that ran the length of the cabin.

“Did you forget?” Ten asked, standing. He brushed himself off, kicking the knife away. “The fangs aren’t for show, darling.” He felt the bloodlust enter his mind, hazy and thick like molasses. He knew the moment his eyes turned red. “You smell disgusting, but maybe I can look past it. Maybe you taste sweeter than you act.”

_“Ten!”_

He glanced over to the pile of wolves, Yukhei somewhere in the middle. “Yes?”

“Don’t drink from him.”

Oh. He sounded so _petulant._ “Baby,” Ten said, endeared. “It won’t mean anything.” But he couldn’t bear Yukhei’s sulking. He simply wasn’t strong enough.

The Alpha stared up at him, dazed. “Who is your sire?”

Ten cocked his head. “Surprised? I haven’t shown you anything yet.”

“Who the hell is your sire?”

Ten crouched down and touched the skin of his cheek. “Poor little wolf alone in the woods,” Ten murmured. “Little Red Riding Hood has a bigger bite in these parts.” He smiled. “You don’t want this territory, darling, I can promise you that. Johnny is strong enough for the battles, but are you? I’m just an underling but you cower beneath me.” He felt his smile warp, fangs dropping. “Imagine what you’d do if you met the real threat. Wolves are the least of your worries.”

He felt the moment Johnny arrived, his energy pulsing through the air.

Kun was quickly behind, and he headed straight to Yukhei, helping him with the pack, while Johnny strode over to Ten and offered a hand to help him to his feet. His gaze was kind. “You’re not hurt?”

“A little,” Ten admitted. “They all seemed to go for my neck. It would be ironic if it weren’t so annoying.”

Johnny nodded. He turned to the other alpha with a steel gaze. “You broke eight of the pack rules by attempting this kind of blackmail. Chanyeol and Junmyeon have sent their men to search for you. Either stay and await trial by the elders or run, now, and don’t look back.”

Chanyeol and Junmyeon. Just their names was enough to stop the rest of the pack from fighting. Their alpha, still pressed against the far wall, looked more like a stoat than a wolf. “How… how did they-“

“Consider yourself lucky,” Johnny spat. “It was all they could do to convince Taemin that it was a matter for the wolves. He was not happy to find out one of his coven had been hurt by an outside pack.”

 _“Taemin_ _?”_ The man looked like he was going to throw up.

Ten laughed. “You’re lucky, little pup. If I hadn’t been so happy to have Yukhei home, you might have caught me in a bad mood. You might have caught my coven in a worse mood. You might not have made it to a trial.” He stepped back, turning away to leave the mess to Johnny. He had other priorities. “Xuxi?”

“I’m tired,” Yukhei said, quiet. “I want to go home.” He was stood by the door being fussed over by Kun. The other wolves crowded against the far wall, bloody and cowed.

Ten sighed and turned back to Johnny. “Can you deal with this? He hasn’t eaten yet, and he’s barely slept.”

Johnny nodded. He fished some keys out of his pocket and handed them to Ten. “Don’t crash my car, please. Two in one night would be overkill even for you.”

Ten took the keys with more force than necessary and bared his teeth. “Don’t push it, pup. Just because you’re Alpha in the woods doesn’t mean I won’t take fight back.”

Johnny just smiled, shaking his head. “Get him home, Ten.”

“I will,” Ten replied. “But not because you told me to.” He looked to where Yukhei was stood, his jeans unzipped, feet bare, hands bloody as they clenched around nothing, tendons flexing beneath his golden skin. “Yukhei is as much in my care as he is yours. I’ll take him home because it’s what he needs.”

-

Even beneath the scent of Johnny in the car, Ten could smell when Yukhei woke from his exhaustion and barrelled straight back into fury. “Pull over.”

Ten glanced at him, foot still firm on the accelerator. “We’re not far from the city now, baby. Hold on a little longer.”

Yukhei growled, the sound rumbling so low in his chest it sounded like a purr. “Pull over, Ten. _Now.”_

It was so rare that he insisted, so Ten acquiesced. He pulled the car to the side of the empty road, the city lights not too distant from sight. Ten turned the engine off and let the car idle in the darkness, his eyes adjusting quickly to the darkness. “I’ve pulled over. Now what?”

Yukhei unbuckled Ten’s seat-belt and hauled him across into Yukhei’s lap, his mouth immediately seeking out Ten’s abused neck. He bit down savagely, so hard that Ten felt his skin give and blood begin to leak from the new wound. He whimpered, eyes rolling back. “You smell of him,” Yukhei said into his neck, voice barely human. “I can’t stand it. You should smell of _me.”_

Ten moaned, back arching as he pressed his neck into Yukhei’s teeth. “I do, baby, you’re all I smell, you’re everywhere. You’re everything.”

Yukhei put one big hand on the curve of Ten’s lower back. He licked the blood from the wound he’d caused, using his other hand to pull Ten’s chin down so that their eyes were level. “Open,” he commanded.

Ten’s mouth fell open, tongue poking out obediently, just as he knew Yukhei wanted.

When Yukhei spat in Ten’s mouth, it tasted of mingled blood, of Ten’s, of Yukhei’s, of other wolves too, those that Yukhei had fought and clawed and ripped so beautifully, hot blood spraying the walls of the dirty old cabin. This fight was nothing, barely a scuffle, but it was gorgeous anyway. Seeing Yukhei lose his pretty control was one of Ten’s favourite pastimes.

He swallowed the spit, poking his tongue back out to prove his mouth was empty. It was only then that Yukhei seemed to settle slightly, reassured of his claim. As if there was any doubt that Ten belonged to him just as he belonged to Ten.

“Drink again,” Yukhei said, tone still commanding. “You were hurt. The knife wound hasn’t healed on your throat yet.”

Ten shook his head, pulling back. “No. I mean it, Yukhei. You’re weak enough as it is. You need food and sleep before I drink again.” Yukhei growled, but Ten cut the noise off by letting the red pool in his irises. “I’m not asking, puppy. We’re going home, and you’re going to rest.”

There was curious amusement vibrating down the bond between Ten and Taemin, a gentle inquiry as to the violence of the evening, but Ten resolved to reply once Yukhei was sleeping. That was his first priority, and Taemin would allow it as he always had.

Ten pressed a chaste kiss to Yukhei’s lips, settling back into the driver’s seat. “Come on, baby. I’ll get you some food to take home.”

When they pulled up at the drive-thru, the same sweet woman as working the window. She blinked at Ten, down at his bloodied neck, and then to Yukhei. “Hi,” she said. “Can I take your order?”

“Six double cheeseburgers, please,” Ten said, offering her a smile. “We lost the first ones.”

“And a shake.”

Ten turned to Yukhei, who was staring mulishly out of the window. “Pardon?”

“A shake too. Please.”

Ten squeezed his knee, turning back to the woman. “And a chocolate shake.”

She nodded, returning after a couple of minutes with their food. Ten grabbed the wad of cash Johnny stored in his glove box, rolling his eyes at the predictability of wolves, and passed it over. “Have a nice night now.”

Yukhei had finished the food by the time they made it back to the apartment, and he was asleep again almost as soon as he hit the bed, still fully clothed.

Ten kissed his forehead and closed the bedroom door as he left, walking through to the bathroom so that he could clean the mess from his neck.

His phone chimed while he was wiping away the flaky, dried blood, and he picked up without checking the caller. “I’m okay, don’t worry.”

“Worry? When have I ever worried about you?” Taemin asked, amused. “I’ve never had any need to worry, love. I’m ringing to see if you want us to do anything. Junmyeon is insistent that we involve ourselves since you were attacked instead of a wolf. He’s very into the interspecies relations, you know.”

“They weren’t a threat,” Ten said, staring at his wounds. Even without fresh blood, they were closing swiftly. “They were an embarrassment. We don’t need to do anything, Taemin. Those wolves were barely worth acknowledging.”

Taemin hummed. “This city is becoming quite the bed of action, isn’t it? Packs do seem to enjoy threatening Johnny.”

“It’s because of Kun,” Ten said. “They don’t like an alpha being mated to another alpha.”

“Or a wolf mated to a vampire.”

“That too,” Ten said, smiling slightly.

Taemin sighed. “Well, that’s boring. If you don’t want us to do anything, I’ll respect your wishes. This time, anyway.”

Ten laughed. “This time,” he agreed. “Something tells me that things are going to get worse before they get better.”

Taemin hummed. “Well, love, I do hope so.” He laughed, ever so doting. “It’s been so long since we got to fight properly.”

Ten thought of the other packs waiting in the trees for their chance to lunge, just biding their time. “It won’t be much longer,” he said.

“So much fun ahead,” Taemin said, sighing wistfully. “I can barely contain my excitement.”

Ten thought of Yukhei’s golden eyes, his lips pulled back from his gums in a horrifying snarl. He smiled. “Me too.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading!!!!! Sending everyone love xo


End file.
